The West Indies players have withdrawn from the Bangladesh series because their contractual dispute with the board has not been resolved yet.

President & CEO of West Indies Players Association (WIPA), Mr. Dinanath Ramnarine hosted a Media Conference earlier at the Queen's Park Oval where he stated that with immediate effect, West Indies Players have withdrawn from the Bangladesh Series.

Earlier during the year, when England were touring the West Indies, the WICB and WIPA met to resolve some of the outstanding issues, and reached an agreement on some of them, and decided on a time-frame to resolve the others.

However, Ramnarine says that nothing much has changed, and the WICB is now reneging on the agreements made at that meeting.

He also revealed that the players have played their last four tournaments without a contract.

"They are now being asked to play their fifth consecutive series without a contract which is highly unacceptable. When a player called me last week and asked what was the position with regards to his injury while playing cricket for the West Indies in the just concluded 20/20 World Cup, my response was that was there was no written contract in place and therefore any action that would have to be taken, would have to be taken in that context. Professional sportsmen should not be allowed to play any sport that has such a high risk without the necessary protection," Ramnarine said.

Some of the outstanding issues are:

1) Settlement of the Retainer Contract for which fees have already been agreed upon by the parties and comments on the contracts itself that have been with the WICB for two months now without any response.

2) Settlement of payments on the concluded tour of West Indies tour to England (2009)

3) Settlement of fees on the just concluded ICC 20/20 World Cup (2009)

4) India to West Indies series (2009)

5) Bangladesh to West Indies (2009)

6) Retainer Contracts/Player Contracts (2008/9)

7) Injury Payments for players with or without written contracts

8) Unauthorised use of Players IP and Image rights

9) Clothing Contract

a) Arbitration matter pending since 2007 which include breaches of the CBA and MOU.

It is in this regard that WIPA met with the players in St. Lucia on Saturday 4th July for almost three hours. The decision was taken that if the WICB did not meet with WIPA to resolve outstanding issues, the players would not make themselves available to participate in the upcoming series against Bangladesh. Ramnarine said he had written to the WICB to meet on Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th July, but that they have not responded.

"Having considered the situation carefully and dispassionately, and bearing in mind their own welfare without ignoring the concern of other stakeholders, the players have requested me as President of WIPA, the players' body, to inform the WICB, sponsors and the public that, regretfully, they cannot with immediate effect continue playing without any contracts with the WICB," he concluded.

But Julian Hunte, president of the West Indies Cricket Board said the first test in St.Vincent would go ahead, although he refused to be drawn on whether they would select an alternative squad for the game.

WICB president Hunte, however, told Reuters he still expected the series to go ahead.

"As far as we are concerned (there) will be a test match on Thursday," he said.

Hunte declined to comment on whether the WICB was now seeking to recruit an alternative team to replace those on strike.

"Goodness me, we can't play a test match without players. I can't go beyond that," he said, adding that he intended to release a statement about the game on Wednesday.

Media reports in the Caribbean said most players from the West Indies squad had returned to their homes and were not preparing as planned for Thursday's game.

Bangladesh are already in the Caribbean having played a warm-up game in Barbados against a West Indies A team.